After losing three straight games, the Charlotte Hornets finished their homestand on a good note with a win over the Houston Rockets.
The Charlotte Hornets had a rough time in their past three games. They went toe-to-toe with some good teams, but they were not able to finish. On Saturday, the Hornets were able to finish, and they won 108-99 against the Houston Rockets.
In this game, the Hornets had to face a small-ball styled Rockets team. The Rockets came into this one by resting Russell Westbrook for their game on Sunday. If the Rockets thought their game against the Hornets would be easy, then resting Westbrook was not a good decision.
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From the opening tip-off, the Hornets started the game by dominating the Rockets. After missing many shots and committing eight turnovers, the Rockets found themselves down 20-0 midway through the first quarter.
This lead would not last for long, as the Rockets stormed back to make it as close as a one-score game at the start of the second quarter. After almost losing their lead, the Hornets went on a run and finished the second quarter leading 57-43.
The went on to be outscored in the third quarter, but Terry Rozier made some huge shots early on. However, the Hornets’ lead was cut to 82-76 by the end of the quarter.
The Hornets went on to have a strong fourth quarter, getting contributions from everyone. Terry Rozier led the team in scoring with 24 points, while Devonte’ Graham followed him up by scoring 23 points.
PJ Washington also had a strong showing in this one, as he finished with 20 points. This was Washington’s second consecutive game where he scored 20 or more points.
The Hornets as a team finished by being outrebounded by the Rockets 42-30. For a small-ball team like the Rockets, it does not look good when a team finishes with fewer rebounds against them.
The Hornets needed this one to get back into their groove, as this was not an easy game to win on paper. With this win, the Hornets are now 22-41, and they remain in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference standings.